By Amber Winstead

Unique Threads Are Breathing Life Into the RDU Fashion Scene

Iconic fashion designer Alexander McQueen once said, “I think there is beauty in everything. What ‘normal’ people would perceive as ugly, I can usually see something of beauty in it.”

Often, individuals challenging the notion of what is perceived as the status quo are met with silent disapproval, isolation, and in the worst case, outright ridicule. Those taking fashion risks are not shielded from these perceptions. The braver among us decide to stick to their tongue at a disdainful world and don whatever clothing they damn well please, though like them, inside most people reside the feeling of “I wish I could wear what I really wanted to wear today.”

I’ve found most people dream of what their wardrobe would look like (usually much better) if they had the money, time, patience, organizational skills, etc. Though not all encounters are bad, I have personally been mistaken for a fairy by young children while dressed in Lolita Fashion. This blog entry shall serve as applause to the little daredevils in our community and a small guide on how you can explore alternative fashion.

Cosplay

Now I know what you’re thinking; “Cosplay isn’t a fashion style...right?” and veteran cosplayers who are sharpening their pitchforks, hear me out. Cosplay is a word combination of “costume” and “play” where the idea is that one can dress as their favorite character from books, tv shows, anime, comics (or as their own character shortened to “OC”) and embodies said character in both resemblance and action. However, it is worth noting that some cosplayers stick with only dressing as the character. I take no responsibility for any Pikachus seen on the street that don’t say “pika pika” and refuse to zap you to your heart's content. At its core, Cosplay is the ultimate geek love hymnal to their favorite popular media and a way for many to express their creativity if they choose to make their costumes. With the popularity of some like Yaya Han and cosplay influencing other popular media, it would go loosely into the alternative fashion umbrella based on the eccentricity of some of the costumes and the tendency of cosplayers to wear their costumes out in the general public during photoshoots and especially during convention season.

How to Get the Look:

Most cosplays sold in public are either commissioned or bought at conventions, so here’s a list of a few:

• Animazement

• Cosplay America

• Raleigh GalaxyCon

To find your cosplay community, your best bet would be to join a Facebook group or follow Instagram meetup pages:

• NC Cosplay Club (Facebook)

• Carolina Cosplayer+Fans

• Cosplayclubncsu (Instagram, NCSU student-sponsored cosplay group)

Vintage

Vintage fashion can span back as far as the 1920s or come into more recent decades such as the 1990’s depending on what era the wearer fancies. Vintage fashion is simply wearing clothing from decades gone by, either wearing a completely vintage outfit or mixing and matching with modern-day pieces while still keeping with the time period aesthetic. The 1950s and 1980s seem to be the most popular in general, while the 1990s and late ’80s are more popular with Gen Z participants. Since vintage fashion is clothing that has fallen out of favor with the public, the best bet to find authentic pieces would be garage sales, antique/vintage stores, and swap meets. Here are a few suggestions:

• Father & Son Antiques

• Raleigh Flea Markets

• Raleigh Vintage

• Antiques at Gresham Lake

Most people wearing vintage fashion do so because they enjoy the clothes and haven’t developed a subculture such as the other fashions on this list; however, there are a few hotspots where people wearing vintage fashion might congregate.

• Alamo Drafthouse Cinema

• North Carolina Symphony/Performing Arts Center

• Triangle Swing Dance Society

• NC Rockabilly (Facebook group)

Goth

Goth fashion is adjacent to Goth culture, where a synthwave type of rock music is popular with an emphasis on dark/black clothing and finding beauty in the darker or macabre aspects of the world. This subculture is horrendously misunderstood as being evil, Satanic, and overall drab in outlook and appearance when it's not so! Like everyone else, Goths have a range of emotions, and many are quite upbeat and happy; they just either love the subculture or think black is the new black. Goth fashion originated from the punk rock movement and has been the jumping-off point for other fashions such as emo, scene, Lolita, and pastel goth. Right now, we’ll focus on Goth fashion itself.

Where to get the look:

• Superstition Boutique (Asheville)

• TCAE Studio (Etsy)

• SpokeninRed (Etsy)

• VickiBeWicked (Etsy)

Goths in larger cities such as Los Angeles and NYC have entire clubs devoted to the Goth subculture where one can meet other goths, dance, and socialize. Since NC is smaller in population and there aren’t enough collective interests, and  there aren’t many places devoted specifically to those of us with a darker aesthetic, though here a few places to find other Goths:

• Rock shows

• Eccentrik Festival

• Charlotte Dark Scene (Facebook group)

Lolita

Lolita fashion is an off-shoot of the Japanese Glam Rock/Goth movement in the ’90s that combines Victorian and Rococo silhouettes with modern kawaii (Japanese for “cute”) aesthetics and motifs. Lolita fashion typically consists of flared or bell-shaped skirts, a ruffled blouse, stockings/ over the knee socks, and some sort of headwear (typically a bow or bonnet). There are three main types of styles: sweet (pastel colors, cute motifs, cupcake-shaped skirts), gothic (primarily black outfit, more textures such as lace overlays, and macabre accessories such as skulls or coffin bags), and classic (muted colors, A-line skirt, fewer prints, more classical sewing techniques such as pintucks and embroidery). Lolita fashion is also misunderstood because of it’s cute, whimsical attributes and the misconception that the fashion is related to the book Lolita (which it is 100% is not). Lolita fashion participants enjoy the style because of how beautiful it is, the connection to the Victorian era while still being convenient for the modern-day person, and the community surrounding the fashion. Before diving in, it is recommended to study Lolita fashion first and get used to seeing elements to avoid missing key features or articles of clothing. Lolita fashion boutiques in the Carolinas mostly operate online or occasionally visit conventions, so here’s where you can find Lolita or kawaii pieces: 

• MaskandMoonlight (Etsy)

• BubbleCloudBoutique (Etsy)

• Animazement (some years they host an annual tea party and have vendors)

• The Lolita Collective (Indie designer(s) site)

Local Lolita hubs could include:

• Sugar Magnolia Cafe

• Boba Tea bars around the RDU area

• JC Raulston Arboretum

• #eglcommunity on Instagram

Alt fashion in our area adds to the diversity of creative expression in the Carolinas. It helps build a community for those whose clothing style needs are not met with the current mass-produced options offered. Though it goes without saying, I implore everyone to please be respectful of the listed communities’ choice of dress and right to privacy. It takes a lot of gumption to wear alternative fashion in public and feel comfortable. 

Hopefully, this entry has helped educate you on the following fashion styles in the RDU and possibly encouraged you to do your own unique threads. Remember, it’s not what you wear but how it makes you feel that counts the most.